


Death All Around Me

by miketheburner (murb93)



Series: Trust Me, I Want Me Dead, Too, AU [3]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:09:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27698105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/murb93/pseuds/miketheburner
Summary: Things didn't exactly work out for the Phantom Thieves, and Kamoshida is still ruling Shujin like he owns the place.Rio Fujinami has had more than zero run-ins with the famed volleyball coach and has had enough.This fic is more for people who have read and enjoyed Trust Me, I Want Me Dead, Too.Updated on 12-12-20 with more detail and some grammar and spelling fixes. This will eventually be a multi-chapter long fic. Consider this a preview of what's to come.
Series: Trust Me, I Want Me Dead, Too, AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1944301
Comments: 7
Kudos: 6





	Death All Around Me

_ Saturday, May 7, Early Morning _

The school’s rumor mill was right more often than it was wrong, and that chilled Rio Fujinami to her core. Monday’s rumore featured Amamiya. The supposed-delinquent second-year transfer, would be expelled for assaulting Coach Kamoshida, if the gossip was to be believed.

He’d been escorted away from the school in handcuffs at lunchtime. Amamiya kept to himself in his short time at Shujin Academy. Rio had no reason to fear him, despite other students’ insistence that he was some kind of criminal. To Rio, he seemed pensive. Thoughtful even. If Niijima-senpai was weary of the rumors, he was either terrifying, a saint, or both. 

The morning’s rumors were somehow less jovial than a teenage kid being escorted away in handcuffs. Ryuji Sakamoto and Ann Takamaki were dead, struck by a car at Shibuya Crossing on the way to class that morning. Apathy Syndrome was the culprit, according to the rumor mill. ‘Or a mental shutdown,’ Rio noted silently. She wouldn’t be surprised at either. 

Takamaki wishing to die wouldn’t have come as a shock to anyone at school. Nobody was really the same after Suzui’s leap last month, and Ann was her closest friend. It was profoundly sad, and school administration didn’t seem to care. 

Rio found it too painful to look at her classmates that day. Their lack of sorrow drew her disgust and ire. 

Her self-hatred was stronger than her ire of her classmates. Rio knew what happened to Suzui. The real story, too, not just the cracked out fantasyland fairytale Kamoshida shared with the police and the school board. 

**_“Amamiya did it, I swear, officer.”_ **

Ushimaru droned on. Rio didn’t know the topic, didn’t care for the subject, and wished death on everyone in the room, herself included. She longed to join Shiho, wherever she may be, but the padlocks on the rooftop had been upgraded after the incident. 

“Fujinami,” Ushimaru barked and winded up his throwing arm. 

The chalk never came. Rio’s middle finger stopped him from completing his throw, enraging him further. She surely would have received a lecture but a staticy voice over the intercom interrupted the teacher’s rage..

‘Emergency assembly. I’m so sorry, Takamaki. Sakamoto.’ Rio shouldered the burden of their demise. She wished their march to the gym was a death march. She’d seen a movie once where a class was forced to fight for survival on a deserted island. If she were in that situation, she’d have hurled herself off a cliff.

The gym was neither quiet nor respectful. Students gathered in their cliques, taking part in miserable slandering of the dead.

_ “I heard Takamaki got rejected by Kamoshida, and threatened to kill herself.” _

_ “Sakamoto and Takamaki had a suicide pact with Suzui. They felt guilty for backing out.” _

_ “I can’t believe they tried to blame Kamoshida for Suzui.” _

Suguru Kamoshida stood on the stage next to Kobayakawa, wearing a terribly fake sorrowful look. He probably was sad in some aspect, Rio thought. Takamaki was his favorite. She shivered at the thought of Kamoshida picking a new target. Even worse was the possibility that his actions led to Ann’s death. A darker part of her mind wouldn’t be surprised if Kamoshida asked about getting alone-time with the body.

Rio drew unwanted attention when she stormed out of the gym while Kabayokawa pretended he was upset that five of his students had died within that last year. The truant officers at the school gate paid her no mind. They were too busy stuffing their faces with leftover yakisoba pan like the pigs they were. 

One student wrongfully accused, one student’s suicide in the most public way possible, two more students dead of an ‘accident,’ and the culprit stands on stage acting like he’s distraught. He probably killed the two that disappeared last year, too. 

She had no trouble finding an empty train car back to Setagaya. Rush hour ended an hour ago. 

Her ‘new’ life wasn’t the upper-middle-class existence she held when her parents were still alive, but it wasn’t terrible. The run-down, bug-ridden apartment fit her guardian’s personality perfectly, a miserable, tiny place. Rio loved it because her guardian hated it. If Rio had to be miserable, then she wanted Tae to be miserable with her. She wanted nothing more than for Tae Takemi to fuck right off. Unfortunately, her fucking off meant Rio would be off to whatever hellhole the government was going to send Rio in the first place.

===

_ Two years earlier… _

Rio’s mother was a self-absorbed cunt of a woman who only had a child because her husband demanded one. Her father was every bit as self-absorbed, although Hiroshi’s biggest flaw was his temper and the violence that often followed a flare. Rio was sad he only ever directed it at her. Reiko deserved to have her jaw broken.

Her father swore that today would be Japan’s crowning glory, but he really meant it was his own. In reality, it was a day that belonged to Suguru Kamoshida, her father’s teammate and by far the best player on the team. Rio’s father contributed as much to the Olympic gold as the fans watching at home, although he called the medal a crowning achievement of his career. His spot on the team was largely a lifetime achievement award, by itself. He only gained his spot because he’d played in the Japanese pro leagues for so long that some of the younger star players considered him an elder statesman, the bridge between the legends of yore and the stars of today. Rio thought it would have been a nice sentiment had the league been little more than a feeder league for larger professional leagues in other countries.

They stayed in a fancy hotel together that night. The Prime Minister invited the whole team to have dinner with him at the Wilton, a giant, elaborate buffet-style restaurant known for attracting Japan’s most famous citizens. Rio felt it was just a place for celebrities to pretend they’re American for a day. Eating that much food at once was a disgusting act she refused to entertain. She could claim to her parents that a lady would never eat in such a manner. They’d be happy with that response.

The Wilton was also famous for it’s bar, which had an open tab for the night because of it’s prestigious guests. Rio knew there would be disaster incoming. Her father was a violent dickhead without alcohol, but when he drank, he became a killer. She’d almost been a victim a few times. She self-consciously ran her tongue over the four implants in her bottom row of teeth. She had only lost two teeth initially, but she had braces. Those two teeth took another two with them. Her jaw needed realignment, and she’d only gotten the braces off a month ago. Her father tried to hit her again when he discovered how bloody his knuckles were, but her mother convinced him to hit her somewhere else to save money on dental work. 

Rio never prayed. ‘If god exists, he’s a piece of shit’ was her motto. She always said she’d never pray to somebody who allowed so much suffering. Not just her own suffering, but that of everyone. What god creates a world where a child can have cancer? What god creates a world where the life it created no longer desires to live? That night, she prayed. Her father’s violent temper was inevitable, but she prayed that she wouldn’t end up in the hospital again, that she wouldn’t end up in headgear, and that she wouldn’t have to explain to her teachers how she tripped down the stairs face-first with her mouth open. 

Something, a tinge in her brain, an odd feeling in her stomach,  _ something _ in her heart of hearts felt the monkey’s paw curl. 

The Prime Minister gave his speech congratulating the team before calling their captain to the stage, a giant of a man with a jaw that was still somehow too large for his frame, and a messy mop of black hair hiding an obviously receding hairline. Rio didn’t remember his speech much, only the generic parts where he thanked his teammates, the coach, and the esteemed veterans that kept up team morale. It was an obvious nod to her father, but if it were Rio, she’d have taken it as an insult. Given the way Kamoshida was eying her, she assumed it was an insult. 

“Put that fucking phone away,” Rio’s dad told her. She hadn’t had it out for more than a moment when he noticed, and he admonished again when she started focusing on other parts of the room. “Eyes forward and sit up straight. You’re a fucking embarrassment.”

“Whatever, Mr. Participation Trophy.” She muttered under her breath.

He reached over and gripped her wrist  _ hard. _ She heard a pop, and it hurt briefly, but the pain faded quickly. The speech finished and everyone in the room stood up at their gaudy, gold circular tables and cheered. Rio joined, afraid of worsening her coming punishment. Some of her father’s teammates came over to congratulate him and he did the same. It was remarkable to Rio how polite and kind her father seemed in that moment. Kamoshida came over and shared his congratulations, but he shifted the conversation away from volleyball quickly.

“That’s some daughter you’ve got there.” Rio gulped at Kamoshida giving her the once over. She didn’t like his eyes lingering, or his lips curling. “Does she play?”

“She’s a star in the making,” Hiroshi said, faking pride in his daughter. “We’ve got her fielding visits from the best coaches in the city.”

“Is that so?” Kamoshida’s voice bled arrogance. “I’ve got a secret. I can get her into Shujin if she wants to play for me.” 

Rio wanted to slap the desperation out of her father’s voice. “You’re going to coach?”

Kamoshida nodded and puffed out his chest. “It’ll be official as of tomorrow. Us old timers gotta know when to hang it up, ain’t that right Hiro?”

“Oh, fuck off, Sug,” Hiroshi chuckled. “We can talk about that later.”

“I actually have tonight free,” Kamoshida spoke, and Rio knew she immediately had to get out of there. Her mother blocked her exit, knowing Rio’s intentions immediately. “If she’d like some pointers, bring her by my room.”

Reiko understood the connotation because she butted in. “She’s only 12, Kamoshida-san,” she spoke politely. “That would be highly inappropriate.”

Kamoshida rolled his eyes. “Would you rather take her place?” 

He gave Reiko the same once over he gave Rio. He didn’t seem quite as impressed, but if he was going for young, her mother fit the bill. She was in her 30s, but she was short and had aged gracefully. They often got confused for sisters.

“Neither of us are going back to your room-”

Hiroshi stammered. “Now, wait a minute Reiko-”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Rio was loud, drawing attention throughout the room. She backed away and tumbled over a chair. She recovered quickly, although the scene quickly became more public. “You’re going to  _ gift _ me to this pervert?”

“Rio, he’s not-”

Her father’s words didn’t reach her. She sprinted away as fast as she could, suddenly thankful that her parents were a strange Frankenstein couple that came together because some asshole thought they’d have the perfect volleyball machine as a child.

Rio hated wearing dresses. She wouldn’t have drawn that asshole’s attention if her mother hadn’t stuck her in this stupid tight dress. She didn’t even like purple. Couldn’t it have been a better color? She hated heels, too, although she was good enough at walking in them. Running in heels wasn’t as simple, but she’d removed them before she bolted out of the Wilton’s revolving front door. She sprinted barefoot through Roppongi, reaching the train station. Rio found the police kiosk but discovered it unmanned. Her heart sank.

“You okay, kid?”

Rio was startled by the interruption. The voice belonged to a woman not much taller than her with a pixie cut, buzzed at the sides, the long parts dyed a dark green to go with her black hair. She was wearing a leather and denim jacket and leather pants. The shortest word Rio could think of to describe her was shady, but she’d just gotten off the train and her expression was all business. Her natural facial expression was a hard glare.

“No.” Rio failed to catch her breath. The adrenaline faded and she’d already run a long way. She needed to sit.

“Do you have anywhere to go?”

‘Home.’ Rio thought. But she knew home was no longer safe. “No, I don’t.”

“Come on,” the woman motioned back towards the train. “You have a place to stay tonight.”

They sat in silence on their way to Ginza.

Ginza station to the woman’s apartment wasn’t a long walk, but they had time to make minor conversation. “I don’t normally ask questions in these situations, but my roommate’s gonna be pissed if I bring back a drifter and don’t get her name first.”

“Rio Fujinami,” Rio replied. “Not a drifter.” The comment wasn’t amusing.

“Runaway?”

Rio shrugged. “Kind of.”

“Okay. We can talk about that later if you’re comfortable.” They approached a door in a run-down apartment building. “I’m Tae Takemi.”

“Thank you, Takemi-san.” Rio’s breath finally steadied.

“Tae’s easier to say,” she said, searching for her keys in her purse.

“Thank you, Tae.” Rio reiterated. The door opened and they entered an apartment that was nicer on the inside than the outside. A woman, conventionally attractive and definitely taller than Tae, sat on a couch, plowing through a bowl of instant ramen at record speed. She still had the noodles hanging out of her mouth when she noticed Tae and Rio enter the room. She slurped up the remaining noodles.

“Uh.” She gave them shifty eyes. “It’s exactly what it looks like.”

“Rio, this is Ayumi,” Tae said with a chuckle. “My roommate.”

“Where’d you get the prom queen?” Ayumi stood up to throw away her bowl, aiming for the trash can but missing. “Damn it.”

“You’re a terrible shot,” Tae grumbled, then turned to Rio. “Take a seat on the couch. I’ll grab you some clothes. You should be about my size.”

“Except for the giant boobs,” Ayumi laughed like she’d said the funniest thing in the world. Rio noticed a few strands of Ayumi’s bangs were dyed red. The two must have been part of some alternative lifestyle, or something. Rio wouldn’t judge. She promised herself she’d be thankful.

Rio chuckled politely. 

Tae left the room with an exasperated sigh. “She’s more fascinated with my boobs than any man I’ve ever dated.”

She came back with a pair of pajama pants and an oversized t-shirt with the words “Meiji Medical” imprinted on the front. “You can change in the bathroom. If you need a shower, go ahead. I don’t have any spare underwear.”

“Yeah, she saves them to sell online.” Ayumi cracked open a can she’d pulled out of the fridge.

Tae shot back quickly. “Ayumi! Now is  _ not _ the time.”

Ayumi frowned. “Buzzkill.”

The roommates were lively and goofy and made no mention of Rio’s terrible night after she made it clear she couldn’t talk about it. The wound was too raw. They didn’t ask, and she wouldn’t tell. The two helped her forget until Rio returned home the next day. 

Her parents were in the midst of an argument when Rio walked in. They couldn’t decide if they should call the police or not. She overheard parts of the conversation that almost conveyed worry, but the scratch marks, bruises, and dead look in her mother’s eyes told her something else had happened.

“Rio, if only you had stayed-” her father began to speak but the words died in his throat. Not even Hiroshi Fujinami could be that profoundly shitty. His wife sighed at the table. 

Rio couldn’t bring herself to ask what happened. Instead, she found the non-emergency number for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, dialed it, and handed her mother the phone.

Rio will never forget the details her mother shared with the policeman on the other line, but she will never share them. She decided that the second her mother hung up the phone.

The room remained silent. The Fujinami family exchanged looks of worry at each other. Rio would have left for her own room had her father’s breathing not gotten so unsteady; had her mother’s eyes not started oozing black; had her father’s eyes not started doing the same. Their agonizing screams rang through the house. 

Rio promised herself that she would never call the police again. 

===

_ Present Day _

She slammed the door and slipped the deadbolt back into place. She secured it with the chain lock. The apartment was too big for one person and too small for two. There were technically two bedrooms, but Rio’s room was a glorified closet with barely enough room for a puke-stained twin-sized mattress they pulled out of a dumpster and a desk for her to do homework on. The place smelled like cigarettes and stale booze. Rio tried to ignore her room’s poor state as best she could. The desk had a decade’s worth of graffiti carved into it. The carpet was a mess. They had a roach problem. 

Living with Tae was easy. She didn’t yell. She didn’t freak out. She just didn’t care. She didn’t care about anything besides finding a cure for that little brat she’d never shut up about. 

It was the first time Rio ever had a parental figure that wasn’t abusive, and she was pretty sure she’d still trade this strange woman with arrested development for her father’s heavy fists. At least that taught Rio how to take a punch. Tae was every bit as defeated by life as Rio felt. ‘The joys of adulthood.’

Rio felt like shit, so she laid down. She was asleep in minutes.

===

_ Afternoon _

Rio rarely dreamed of anything besides black tar oozing out of her parents’ eyes. That nightmare never went away. This afternoon, she had a new dream, one of a man with a long nose and bloodshot eyes. He was accompanied by a blonde woman in a blue dress with a demure smile. 

His voice was simultaneously pleasant and unsettling. An understated silence followed every word. He said her future was filled with interesting, albeit unfortunate events. She remembered responding that he only needed to look back at the last two years of her life to come to that conclusion. He laughed as though amused by her candor.

Rio signed a contract stating she would hold herself responsible for her own actions.

A door slammed and she sat up in her bed in her own room. Rio hadn’t meant to fall asleep and that dream made her wish she hadn’t.

Now Tae was home. ‘Fucking great.’

Rio wished she’d changed out of her school uniform before leaving her room. She sighed when an exhausted-looking, dead-eyed Tae glared at her from the couch. The life left her eyes years ago. She made the mistake of being the first medical professional on the scene when Rio’s parents died. That’s how she ended up taking care of this pain in the ass kid. Rio had heard the story a million times. She hated it. The most traumatizing moment of her life was but a mere annoyance in her guardian’s. 

“I got a call from your school today.” Tae was going full not-mad-just-disappointed on this speech. ‘Great.’

“Well, as you can see, I’m here, so I couldn’t have gotten in trouble.” 

“You flipped off Ushimaru and walked out of an assembly in honor of two dead students.”

Rio’s blood boiled. “In honor of? Are you fucking serious?”

Tae shrugged, as if saying ‘what can you do?’ “That’s what they told me.”

“That fucking asshole.” Rio’s breaths deepened as she tried to stay under control. “I walked out because that fucking asshole Kamoshida was standing up there mugging like he was so heartbroken that the two students he had killed died.”

Tae flinched. “That’s quite an accusation.”

“I know he fucking did it.” Rio’s heart was beating out of her chest. “They were getting too close. He had that transfer booted last week.”

“Amamiya?” Tae looked concerned. “What did he do?”

“Kamoshida claimed he tried to assault him in his office.”

“That seems so out of character.”

“I didn’t realize you two were dating,” Rio grumbled. “The three students Kamoshida decided he was going to fuck with this semester are all gone. Amamiya is back in jail. Sakamoto and Takamaki are dead. Sorry if I don’t feel comfortable sitting in an assembly ‘in their honor.’”

“I can call-”

“You are not going to call the fucking school.” Rio huffed. “I’m going back Monday. I’ll be good. I’ll apologize to Ushimaru. I’ll suck his dick or something. I don’t know.” She wouldn’t cry. It wouldn’t be worth letting Tae see her cry.

“I wish there was something I could do.” Tae had become increasingly distant since she first took Rio in, something that had consumed Rio. There were some guilty feelings underneath the anger.

“There’s not. I’m sorry, Tae.” The tears came, no matter how hard Rio fought them. Tae stood up and guided her to the couch, rubbed her back for a bit, just letting her cry it out. “You’ll lose me if you pull me out.” Rio could read her mind. They’d discussed transferring schools. Every single time they inquired elsewhere, they’d get a phone call from a shadowy voice telling them to reconsider. 

“I feel so worthless.”

For the first time since that first night with Ayumi, Rio let Tae comfort her.

They ordered takeout that night. Tae smoked a bowl. They laughed. They talked about Ayumi, they bitched about the cops and Rio smiled.

Rio felt loved, if not for one night. She couldn’t decide if Tae truly made her feel better, or if she knew she made her decision.

===

_ Monday, May 9, Early Morning _

Kamoshida waited by the front door for her. Rio swore under her breath a dozen times from her hiding place in the alley. She promised Tae she would go to school today. She absolutely couldn’t renege.

“That fucking Kamoshida,” she mumbled under her breath. “He acts like he’s a fucking king like this is a castle or something. He lusts after all these underage girls and-”

“Location confirmed,” her phone said. The sky turned purple. Rio peered around the corner. The school was gone, replaced by a medieval era castle, complete with towers and a moat with a drawbridge. 

“What the fuck?” Rio walked slowly towards the front door. “The fuck kind of joke is this?”

The front door operated on some kind of pulley system that Rio couldn’t get to budge. 

Had she not promised Tae that she’d go to school, she’d have turned around. Rio might have also been spurred ahead by curiosity as she found a ventilation shaft to the left of the doors she couldn’t get to open. It led to an empty room, which led to a hallway that led right to where the school’s front lobby would normally be. Students normally changed shoes and placed their books in lockers here. Now it was a large, open throne room with a painting of King Kamoshida at the head.

“Kamoshida!” Rio shouted. “What the fuck is all this?”

She turned around the room as the noise of clanks and scrapes reverberated. “One of the princesses has escaped.”

“Who you calling princess, asshole?” Rio wasted no time, kicking at the gold one that looked like the leader. He slammed her to the ground with his shield. 

“You are to speak only when spoken to!” It shouted back. He backed off when a familiar voice called him off.

“Rio-chan.” Kamoshida approached wearing a…

“What are you wearing?” The red robe and pink thong was a look Rio hoped to never see again.

“I am a king, and you should address me as such.” His expression grew smug.

“Oh, want me to suck your dick, too?”

The satisfied look on his face was the opposite of what Rio wanted to see. “I-”

“Don’t. I’m not sucking your dick, dipshit.”

“Insolence! I should teach you a lesson right now.” It took him very little effort to force Rio onto her back. Panicking, she tried scooting back and hit a wall. He caught her by the knees. “Your mother enjoyed our time together so much.”

Rio kicked, but he caught it.

“She was a fighter, too.” Kamoshida’s nonchalant speaking enraged Rio further. “But you don’t quite have the strength she did.” His sickening smile caused bile to rise in her throat. “You should be thankful. I won’t have to hurt you as much to get what I want.”

Rio was paralyzed with fear, his gold eyes glaring into hers. The sound of glass shattering rattled in her brain.. 

_ “You so long for revenge.” _ The deep voice reverberated through her skull.  _ “Is this truly the strength you require?”  _ She heard herself panting yes, growing more enraged when Kamoshida’s smile widened.  _ “If you so wish, your revenge shall be had, and the world will fear your name.” _

**“Thanatos!”** Rio called forth a Persona. Her voice left her throat much deeper and more monstrous than she would normally be capable of. Kamoshida backed away as her kicking feet caught his face.  **“Bastard of Lust! Your time has come to an end!”**

Rio lost control. Whatever force she summoned forth had a will of its own. Their goals intertwined. She accepted the will of the God of Death.

Their voices synchronized.  **“Door of Hades!”** A massive, terrifying door appeared before Kamoshida, sucking him in, slamming shut, and sealing closed.

Then Thanatos disappeared, as did Rio’s ability to stand. She had to crawl back to the entrance as the palace crumbled. 

Emergency vehicles and police cars surrounded the school, with sirens in the distance confirming more were on their way. Rio decided she didn’t need to go to school that day. 

**Author's Note:**

> These side stories usually start as me writing something about the characters without actually including them in the story. Covering the Phantom Thieves was born in a similar way, and there are numerous other fics I've written but not published that I use to help me keep characters in character. This is just one of them that I thought was good enough to put out there. I don't anticipate there being much more beyond chapter 1, but I have a brief outline for chapter 2 that I might turn into something.
> 
> I don't prefer to write works like this on a regular basis because this was a freaking bummer to write, and I felt weird after writing it. I'll stick to happy stuff.
> 
> UPDATE: 12-12-20. I fixed some grammar errors and added some details. Overall, the story is the same, but this version should be much easier and more fun to read.


End file.
